Under “nominal” conditions (i.e., when all systems are properly functioning), an in-flight aircraft is capable of communicating with off-board entities, such as on-ground control centers (e.g., air traffic control) or other aircrafts. However, when the aircraft experiences equipment failures, malfunctioning systems, or intentionally disabled or overridden systems, the aircraft enters into a “non-nominal” state, or the aircraft may be in a “hostile” state if equipment is maliciously disabled/accessed by an unauthorized user. Communication may be compromised during non-nominal or hostile conditions due to equipment failure or malicious interference. Depending upon the circumstances, recovery of the aircraft may become impossible or very difficult.
Currently, many aircrafts are equipped with recording devices to maintain a record of on-board audio/video, flight data (e.g., equipment statuses, travel logs), and the like. For example, on-board recording devices may include, but are not limited to, cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). One problem is that if the aircraft is never recovered, the on-board recording devices cannot be used to determine why the aircraft went off-course or crashed. Moreover, current systems only provide data regarding the situation on-board the aircraft after the fact, that is, after the non-nominal or hostile situation has fully materialized. In view of the deficiencies outlined above, it is clear that a great need exists in the art for a method of obtaining aircraft information from an aircraft experiencing non-nominal or hostile conditions prior to the time of search and recovery.